What I've Been Watching: The Catch-All Film Thread

I liked it. It's not a sequel, but a solid remake of the original w/ a different story and cast, but the same premise - a bunch of people stuck at a cabin in the woods unwittingly release malevolent demons via an ancient book, and all hell breaks loose.

Totally over-the-top gore, and even better is that they dont rely on CGI - no, this is old school. Gallons of karo syrup and tons of rubber limbs later, I was giggling w/ glee at the classic special effects on display once people start getting all Deadite on each other. I was actually cringing a few times, it's that well done.

Like the Dawn of the Dead remake that came out a few years ago, I have to say that I went into it entirely skeptical but I'm pleasantly surprised - they didnt screw it up!

— I dont dislike people - I just like them better when theyre not around

Familiar themes, but well executed and exciting. I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic sci-fi movies. Liked it a lot!

7.5 / 10.

Spoiler –It reminded me of …

Moon, Matrix, Green Legend Ran, Mass Effect (!), Star Trek, War of the Worlds, Tron and Apple. And maybe a couple others I forgot about. Not necessarily in this order.

— "Mystery is important. To know everything, to know the whole truth, is dull. There is no magic in that. Magic is not knowing, magic is wondering about what and how and where." ~ Cortez, from The Longest Journey

I found the movie to be excellent, well-written and well-performed and by that I mean, the actors' performances, of course. The narrative structure of the movie baffled me a bit (that's a good thing ). And then ending left me confused and bewildered - a US movie without a clear end and where the audience (me and others) have to think about what really happened….and that's a good thing, imo….

I also have seen the movie Act like a lady, think like a man - a totally different movie than The Words, it is sort of a romantic comedy, and also a comment om man vs. woman and female vs. male and their relationsships etc. I just needed a good relaxing movie that evening….

If you like to be bewildered and confused at the end of a movie, you can always watch a David Lynch. I often wonder if he himself knows what his movies are about.
It happened to me again after watching Mulholland drive. It's a good movie with quite some tension and side stories that appear completely unrelated, but if you think about it are probably not and an ending that gave me a big WTF moment.
I don't know what he is smoking when he makes these movies but it must be strong stuff.

— Computern. A machine which flawlessly performs the instructions it is given, no matter how flawed those instructions may be.

Originally Posted by Myrthos
If you like to be bewildered and confused at the end of a movie, you can always watch a David Lynch. I often wonder if he himself knows what his movies are about.
It happened to me again after watching Mulholland drive. It's a good movie with quite some tension and side stories that appear completely unrelated, but if you think about it are probably not and an ending that gave me a big WTF moment.
I don't know what he is smoking when he makes these movies but it must be strong stuff.

I love David Lynch's work. I'm currently rewatching Twin Peaks, seeing as we might have a kickstarter for Twin Peaks. Which would be amazing. One of my favorite of his is Lost Highway.

Originally Posted by danutz_plusplus
I love David Lynch's work. I'm currently rewatching Twin Peaks, seeing as we might have a kickstarter for Twin Peaks. Which would be amazing. One of my favorite of his is Lost Highway.

Went to the theater yesterday with friends, to see Oblivion and a documentary about a forgotten musician from the seventies, entitled Searching for Sugar man. Me and my friend much more appreciated the documentary than the Hollywood blockbuster. Oblivion is a good entertainment, with a fine setting and a solid story but it lacks in the acting department. The two actress are both hot but they act on an average level, even though with some better moments. Morgan Freeman is doing the job, as usual, but without any real inspiration. And then there's the real casting error of the movie, Tom Cruise ! What can I say about Tommy ? He is the aging ladies man he used to be and there we are. He's as talented as any actor from the U.S. soaps with THE look but nothing more than that. To me he simply lacks of talent and that's it. All in all I would rate Oblivion as an average movie with great CGIs and a good plot but an average cast as well.

Sugar man on the other hand is a wonderful and moving true story about an ordinary man who lives an extraordinary life. It's a story of hope and love that I heartily recommend to every one and especially to those who are fans of excellent folk songs. It's the kind of movie you'll think about long after leaving the projection and hopefully you'll end up trying to find a long forgotten record ?

Haven't seen Oblivion - so can't comment on that, but I actually think Tom Cruise is a very talented actor.

His work in Collateral, Interview with a Vampire, Magnolia, Tropic Thunder and so on is quality stuff.

He strikes me as an extremely dedicated actor that takes his job very seriously. I don't like the way he plays the Hollywood game and picks so many hollow blockbuster scripts - but I realise it's necessary for success on that level.

His problem, in my opinion, is his public persona where he comes off as a deluded weirdo.

But considering that he's primarily an action star - I think he's among the best of that bunch.

I do think he should stop being the action hero right about now, though, because he's getting harder and harder to take seriously as a bad-ass. Especially considering his small stature.

For instance, Jack Reacher was an awful movie - and he DID NOT fit the part at all.

Originally Posted by DArtagnan
But considering that he's primarily an action star - I think he's among the best of that bunch.

I do think he should stop being the action hero right about now, though, because he's getting harder and harder to take seriously as a bad-ass. Especially considering his small stature.

I agree that he is an enigma in that he can be really good in one movie and really awful in the next, really at the whim of whether the part fits his action hero style. And as he gets to be old and his stature more evident, it reminds me of Charles Bronson in the later Death Wish movies … #1 made sense (not that it was good, but …) but after that it was just weird.

Originally Posted by txa1265
I agree that he is an enigma in that he can be really good in one movie and really awful in the next, really at the whim of whether the part fits his action hero style. And as he gets to be old and his stature more evident, it reminds me of Charles Bronson in the later Death Wish movies … #1 made sense (not that it was good, but …) but after that it was just weird.

Frankly, I don't think I've ever seen Cruise be terrible. Maybe I'm forgetting some parts, though

Oh, he's been in many terrible movies - but to me it seems like he always tries hard to take the material seriously and treat even the turds with a lot of respect.

I think most modern action stars are really bland and lacking in personality and on-screen presence if you compare them to Cruise.

That said, I have a very powerful mistrust of Scientology - and I pity anyone who can't function properly without surrendering common sense completely.

Just saw the Mass Effect movie, ME: Paragon Lost. It was a very good movie, althougt in my local Blockbuster, it was classified as a movie for children! Let me clear, this is not a movie for children. You'd think that the 15+ movie rating gave them a hint…..

Anyway, the movie has been moved after I talked to the manager about it….and told her that there was blood, flying limbs, people being pierced and that it doesn't have a happy ending…

From what I read the focus of the movie will be slightly different from the book.

Spoiler

Everyone knows from the beginning what the story is about and the focus is on how they handle it.

Either way, I recognized some iconic scenes from the book and am quite happy about the look.

— "Mystery is important. To know everything, to know the whole truth, is dull. There is no magic in that. Magic is not knowing, magic is wondering about what and how and where." ~ Cortez, from The Longest Journey

I feel I should be grateful for just being a periodic clusterhead with at least one last-resort medication that helps .

I get migraines like 5 times a month, and they pretty much lay me out. Thankfully, sumatriptan generic takes care of it most of the time. The nuke is definitely Maxalt, but that stuff is expensive since it's brand name only.